Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice regarding structuring my thesis. I am in my first year and haven't started writing yet, however I am getting to that point where I feel I need to start writing (read about 100000 papers haha).

I've looked at other peoples work who have been before me in my department, however everyones structure is just so different and sometimes it doesn't make sense.

My idea was as follows:
-Introduction
- literature review
- background/location (Im a geographer so i've got a particular location/case study)
- methodology
- analysis
-discussion
-conclusion

I am doing my thesis by publication and so far I have only figured out my first paper (part of the literature chapter) - following my qualitative research, i was going to publish papers on themes.

Any comments or advice would be amazing!

Thank you

I've done two separate studies so have written it up as an introductory chapter on methodologies (they were both qualitative studies) and then two separate chapters covering the methods, analysis and discussion of each study. My final chapter brings the results together and does overall conclusions etc. I have definitely seen a number of theses that have published papers as self contained chapters, with an overarching introduction and conclusion, so that could work for you?

Honestly though it might change as you go through but that's OK. You could start with some intro and literature review or the location stuff that definitely has to go in and then decide once your papers are published how they would fit best in terms of presentation in the thesis.

Mines is in the social sciences. I followed 8 chapters:
1.intro
2. Lit/policy review
3.conceptual framework
4. Methods
5.findings/discussion
6.findings/discussion
7.findings/discussion
8.conclusion